Selwyn Times: November 25, 2020

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Newspaper: Selwyn Times
Wednesday November 25 2020 Selwyn Times
The Faces of Selwyn exhibition was launched last year and a new
set of 12 stories about people in the district are on display at Selwyn
Libraries. The stories, written by Hayley Tate, celebrate diversity and
highlight the differences in people’s backgrounds and journeys to
Selwyn. Selwyn Times continues its coverage.
Surinder Tandon
LINCOLN resident Dr
Surinder Tandon is a
textile engineer with
a passion for weaving
together communities
of all cultures and
backgrounds.
Originally from New
Delhi, Tandon and his wife
Archna moved to New
Zealand in 1988. He had
just completed his PhD
in textile engineering and
landed a job at the Wool
Research Organisation of
New Zealand in Lincoln.
“They were doing a lot of
interesting work in textile
engineering and fabric
product development,” he
said.
Combined with his love
for cricket, he thought it
offered was the perfect
opportunity to mix career
and sport.
“But of course, New
Zealand is far away from
India. It was quite new, but
it was exciting and challenging.”
He credits his work colleagues
for helping him
settle into New Zealand
and connecting him with
other Indian families in
the area. They showed him
around, and he was able to
socialise with others in the
wider community.
While juggling his career
and the arrival of his two
children, Tandon got together
with new migrants
COMMUNITY:
Surinder Tandon has
a passion for bringing
the district’s people
together. ​
from India and formed a
“potluck social group” to
meet up during the weekends
for picnics and other
family activities.
In 1998, they then
formed the Indian Social
and Cultural Club which
is now the major Indian association
in Christchurch.
A member of the Lincoln
Rotary Club, he plays an
important role in bringing
the club’s CultureFest to
life for Canterbury residents.
It’s a festival where
various ethnic groups can
showcase their music,
dance and food, he says.
“Its culture galore!”
Since CultureFest made
its debut in Rolleston
NEWS 15
A passion for weaving
together communities
A SERIES of drop-in
sessions to support people
into work, and employers
with staffing needs, is
kicking off across the
district.
Held at public libraries
in Leeston, Lincoln,
Rolleston and Darfield,
employment zone clinics
are sessions where people
can access one-to-one
support around job
seeking, redundancy, staff
retention and recruitment.
The sessions, presented
by Sarah Parker, work
broker for the Ministry of
Social Development, aim
to provide more support
for local communities,
assisting people into sustainable
employment, and
providing a personal and
quick service tailored to
their needs.
“Employment is still
going strong in the community
and businesses are
really open to supports
from MSD,’” said Parker.
“By being on the ground
in the community, I’m
able to tailor services to
the person or business
on a one to one basis,
assisting with their needs
directly. We’ve received
really positive feedback
by people surprised when
they discover the amount
of supports which are
available to businesses,”
she said.
MSD regional labour
market manager Regan
in 2004 more and more
cultural groups have been
participating and the event
has grown into the highly
anticipated annual district
council and Christchurch
Multicultural Council run
event in Lincoln.
It’s also an event that
aims to promote and
encourage social inclusion
and equality, and Tandon
believes it has become an
important vehicle for helping
to prevent cultural and
ethnic divisions.
It’s long way from the
early “potluck social
group” he formed with
other Indian migrants in
the early 1990s.
Tandon’s passion for culture
and community grew,
and he went on to represent
the Indian community
on the Christchurch
Multicultural Council, and
has been its president for
the last ten years.
“I grew a lot of passion
for serving ethnic communities,”
he said.
“Not just Indian communities,
but all communities,
including migrants
and refugees.”
Christchurch has over
180 ethnicities and has
become very diverse, he
said.
“I realised that the
needs of all migrants are
the same for settlement,
such as culture, language
barriers, employment
challenges and
homesickness, of course.”
Library sessions to cover
all aspects of employment
Jackson said it is important
employers and job seekers
are fully aware of the funding
and services currently
on offer to support them.
“The drop-in sessions
provide an opportunity
for people to meet with us
to discuss their needs, and
are an effective engagement
channel enabling us
to connect them to what is
available,” he said.
Both employers and people
needing work can drop
in during the session times
and have the opportunity
to talk directly with Sarah
about their employment
needs.
The sessions are free and
can be found on Selwyn
library Facebook pages.
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